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Cape Town to Pretoria and Beyond on Rovos
Rail
by
Jerry W. Bird
"The design of the train has given us
suites considerably larger than the
world's famous trains such as the Orient
Express, the Blue Train, Royal Scotsman in
England and El Andalus in Spain." Rohan
Vos
 One
of the first lessons one learns on
entering the wonderful world of Rovos Rail
is that this "tour of a lifetime" is not
just a South African experience -- its
routes extend to five
countries
on a network of steel rails. For example,
there's an annual excursion to Dar es
Salaam, Tanzania, which many rave about.
On this cool January morning, however, the
destination is Pretoria, South Africa's
capital city and headquarters of Rovos
Rail, the Pride of Africa. Our leisurely
two and a half day trip north through the
country's heartland, allows ample time to
relax, lay back, sip the wine, smell the
roses, think lofty thoughts and get to
know some interesting people.
Daniel
Dunn,
one of the Western Cape's best informed
tour guides, drove us to the Cape Town
station, where Rovos Rail's owner Rohan
Vos and Sales Manager David Patrick
greeted us, as our baggage was whisked
away in a flash
What
a way to celebrate the New Year! As we
joined the other passengers assembled on
the red-carpeted platform, a traditional
toast of South African champagne and
orange juice set the mood, while a trio of
violinists provided soft, soothing
classical music -- a fitting background
for such a memorable send off. At the
microphone Mr. Vos gave a hearty and
humorous "bon voyage," announcing each
guest's name in turn as we boarded the
train. Many nations were represented that
morning - the UK, Norway, Italy,
Australia, USA, Switzerland, Spain,
Germany, France, South Africa and Canada.
These vintage coaches have carried royalty
on past tours, and we soon discovered
there was a European countess among us,
which reflects the company's claim "the
most luxurious train in the world. A mild
thunderstorm was brewing above Table
Mountain, and as rain began to beat on the
windows, the train pulled away from Cape
Town station. Have no fear, I had a
feeling that the trip would be even more
enjoyable, looking out from our cozy
cocoon on wheels. My intuition proved to
be quite true.
New Cape Town to Victoria Falls
Combination (see
below)
 Five
Star Hotel on
Wheels:
Private and Personal
Talk about individualized service from
Rovos' team of young, attractive
hostesses. Our baggage was waiting in the
cabins, plus champagne, a fruit bowl,
chocolates and terry cloth robes. Private
suites on Rovos Rail are spacious,
elegant, fully equipped and finished in
highly polished wood panels, with amazing
attention to detail. Some of these vintage
coaches date back to 1911, and all are
beautifully restored. Full sized beds face
three large picture windows that open
easily, bathing the room with fresh air
and daylight as you view the changing
landscape, or allow perfect privacy as
needed. The writing desk was ideal for my
lap top computer, and the in-suite
telephone came in handy. Outside Muguette
Goufrani's suite, a brass plaque bore the
title "The Cullinan," after the world's
largest gem diamond, discovered in 1905,
and named for mine owner Sir Thomas
Cullinan. My private suite was titled "
The Etosha," in honor of Namibia's
national park.
 Order
of Good Cheer: As Mr. Vos says, "It is an
atmosphere of good food, good wine and
good conversation that we are striving to
create. " Like Pavlov's dog, and personal
memories of cruises on the Alaska coast, a
soft gong in the passageway signaled that
dinner was being served. Naturally,on
Rovos Rail, semi formal dress was the
order of the day, and as we took our
seats, a red roses was pinned on each
lapel. After all, this was a glorious land
cruise - and the superb menu featured such
local game dishes as Springbok with lemon
honey sauce, plus others like South
African Botobie and Kingclip in Pernod
cream. It goes without saying that the
wine list was extensive, and drinks were
complimentary for the entire trip,
throughout the train.
 The
Road Ahead: The vistas were spellbinding.
Having read Covenant by James Michener,
several Wilbur Smith sagas and various
other books on South Africa, I was aware
that the 900-mile rail journey follows the
old pioneer trail from Cape Town north,
via Paarl, Worcester and South Africa's
bountiful Winelands, wending its way
through the Hex River Valley to the
interior's higher, drier Karoo country.
What I did not expect was the fact that
there were some exceptionally long tunnels
en route. Just imagine the engineering
challenges and effort that was involved in
early railroad-building in this
area.
 History
comes Alive: A pleasant surprise was our
brief stop at the historic village of
Matjiesfontein, which resembles a romantic
movie set, with its street of carefully
restored buildings, such as the Victorian
Lord Milner Hotel, with lush gardens and a
friendly pub nearby. I couldn't help
imagining that Miss Kitty of Gunsmoke
would come through the red velvet curtains
and descend the ornate staircase. Several
of us could have spent all day at the
nearby museum, checking out relics of
pioneer days, before, during and following
the Anglo Boer War and the frantic gold
and diamond rushes. It was hard to imagine
that the rich and famous of the world came
here 100 years ago, when it was a thriving
health resort. Well, we've been told a
renaissance is underway.
 Kimberley's
Diamond Legacy: Speaking of journeys into
history, our next major stop was at Modder
River station, a lonely spot where the
Boers and British once clashed in a major
battle. Disembarking from the train, we
boarded a bus for Kimberley, and received
a history lesson, which set the stage for
our visit to this provincial capital and
luncheon at the exclusive Kimberley Club,
once male only and frequented by Cecil
Rhodes, De Beers and colleagues. Well-fed
and ready for action, we were off to the
famous Kimberley diamond mine. A restored
village surrounded what they call the
"greatest hole in the world, " a huge
excavation that was once a gentle hill.
Our final lesson included mining practices
and replicas of world famous diamonds from
South Africa.
 Pretoria
and Capital Park Station
The following morning our train passed
slowly through the suburbs of
Johannesburg, city of gold and South
Africa's thriving metropolis. Beyond was
Pretoria, our final destination. I will
elaborate on these two great cities later,
but it's important to mention the Capital
Park Station complex, heart of Rovos
Empire. While there, we explored the rail
yards, workshops, museum and training
area, which is like looking backstage at a
major Broadway production. Mr. Vos sums it
up in the following statement, " All our
rolling stock, consisting of 60 carriages
and 5 operating locomotives, our
administrative operation and workshops are
now based at Capital Park. We could indeed
not have wished for a better location,
especially as Capital Park has played such
an important part in South African
Railways History, and thus provides the
perfect home for our trains. The site
covers 25 acres and boasts 15 lines,
totally a distance of 12 km of which 100 m
section is under roof. It is our aim, not
only to rebuild the site to world-beating
standards, but also to transform it into a
working railway museum. Our new
Headquarters will cater to steam
enthusiasts, tourists and local visitors
alike. "
 Having
heard about Rovos Rail since the early
1989, when I originated the series,
"Railways of the World" in the travel
trade media, this New Year's excursion was
like a dream come true. It goes without
saying that the Rovos team won our hearts
and earned our respect as true
professionals, a credit to South Africa
and to the travel tourism industry. Many
thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Vos for such a
wonderful lifetime experience; one we're
proud to tell the world all about. Our
Rovos Rail story continues with new
installments at
http://www.africa-ata.org/sa_rovos.htm,
e-mail:
africa@dowco.com
Rovos
Rail offers new Cape to Vic Falls
combination
(with complimentary hotel stay and
transfers in Pretoria)
Rovos
Rail has launched a new 6-day packaged
journey from Cape Town to Victoria
Falls/Livingstone. The journey is a
combination of the existing Cape Town to
Pretoria route with the Pretoria to
Victoria Falls/Livingstone route and
includes a complimentary overnight stay in
a pre-selected Pretoria hotel on a bed and
breakfast basis, including transfers to
and from Rovos Rail's Capital Park Station
in Pretoria
"Whilst
some agents and operators have already
been combining the two back-to-back
journeys into one itinerary, we felt the
need to add value for the guest and reduce
the workload for our agents by booking and
including the overnight stay in Pretoria
with transfers" said Rohan Vos, owner and
founder of Rovos Rail. The overnight stay
in Pretoria provides an opportunity for
guests to explore and discover the
historic capital city and it's numerous
attractions. "Our agents and operators can
confidently put their clients in our hands
for a full 6 days knowing that all their
needs and desires will be exceeded
in the style and luxury with which our
product is associated". A Pretoria city
tour can be arranged on request and is not
included in the overall
package.
Off-train
excursions during the journeys include a
stop in the quaint Victorian village of
Matjiesfontein, a tour of the historical
diamond mining town of Kimberley, a game
drive in Kapama Game Reserve in the Kruger
National Park and a flight from
Pietersburg to Livingstone aboard Rovos
Air's Classic aircraft. En-route, guests
will be treated to Rovos Rail's legendary
service, fine cuisine, and luxurious
accommodation on a fully-inclusive
basis.
The
new packaged itinerary will be available
for booking from 1 October 2005 on
selected fortnightly Monday departures out
of Cape Town during the Victoria Falls
train departure months.
For
pricing and other information please
contact Rovos Rail Reservations and
Marketing on +27-12-323-6052,
reservations@rovos.co.za or
heike@rovos.co.za
 AUTHOR:
Jerry W. Bird is Managing Editor of Africa
Travel Magazine and President of the
Africa Travel Association's
Canada
Chapter.
He originated the series
"Railways
of the
World"
in 1989, and has written many articles on
rail travel. If you have items or comments
regarding Rovos Rail, or railway travel in
general, please e-mail:
airhwy@dowco.com
From
Kentucky, USA
"..... we welcome you to see our site. I
loved yours! Very interesting and upbeat,
and makes me want to hop on a train."
see
letters
Eleanor Flagler Hardy, President, Society
of International Railway Travelers
For more Railway items and stories, see:
Marrakech
to Casablanca by
Rail
and Adventure
Rails
(part of a series from our two combined
websites)
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A
VERSION OF THE ABOVE STORY BY
MUGUETTE GOUFRANI WILL BE
AVAILABLE IN FRENCH IN OUR
MAY-JUNE EDITION OF AFRICA TRAVEL
MAGAZINE.
Muguette
Goufrani,
Africa Travel Magazine's
Associate Editor covers
destinations and events in
Francophone Africa. She has lived
in five West African countries,
working for Air Afrique, Royal
Air Maroc and Citroen. As a
Travel Agent, she worked in North
Africa and France, where her
family operates an inbound tour
company, and later in Tahiti and
Cambodia.
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